Improvement in covers for fruit-cans



T. EARLE.

Fruit-Jar Cover.

No. 40,996. Patented Dec. 22,1863.

Witnesses: Inventor:

UNITED TATES A'IENT .rnrcs.

TIMOTHY EARLE, OF SMITIIFIELD, RIIODE ISLAND.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 40,996, dated December :22, 1863.

To all 2072 0711, it may concern;

Be it known that I, Tnro'rnv Eamon, of Smithfield, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Covers for Preserve'Cans; and I do hereby declare that the following specification, taken in connection with the drawing making a part of the same, is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

The figure is a perspective view of the improved cover.

It is well understood that in preserving fruits and vegetables in hermetically-sealed jars it is necessary to provide some means for the escape of the air within the vessel, and which is expelled by the vapor arising from the article to be preserved, which is placed in the jar in a heated state. Uusually it has been customary to provide an orifice in the cover, to be closed with wax after the air has been driven out and other arrangements have also been employedas, for example, the mode patented to me November 10, 1868.

The purpose of the present improvement is to provide an easy means for allowing the escape of the air and for closing the vent, when desired, Without the'trouble arising from the use of wax or cement for that purpose.

The drawing represents a cover for a fruitjar, which may be in the form shown, or in any other convenient form. Through the cover there is a vent-hole of the usual size for the purpose, which hole is covered, when the jar is closed, by a rubber patch, (1, held down by a spring, I), whose end is riveted to the cover, or otherwise secured to it at c. The joint between the sides of the cover and the inside of the neck of the jar is packed by arubber band, (1, in the usual way.

When the jar is to be filled, the article to be preserved is poured into it in a heated state, and the'covcr pressed into the neck, so as to make a tight joint. The air-vent is permitted to remain open until all the air within the jar has beenexpelled by the vapor. The patch a is then placed over the ventunder the end of the spring, which is of a strength sufficient to close the aperture tightly. Vhenever it is desired to open the jar the spring can be slightly raised, the rubber patch removed, and the air permitted to enter the aperture, so as to cilitate the removal of the cover.

Instead of having the spring of the shape as shown ,springs of other forms may be employed for the purpose of closing the vent and allowing the ready removal of the covering patch which would involve the same principle as here shown.

hat I claim as myinvention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination of a spring, I), and patch a with the air-vent in the cover of a prescrv ecan, substantially as described, for the purposes specified.

TIMOTHY EARLE.

Witnesses:

Bum. F. THURSTON, Tn'os. H. Pninonv. 

